ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES RESEARCH

Papers presented at the
SECOND SESSION OF THE WORKING PARTY ON
SMALL-SCALE FISHERIES

Bangkok, Thailand, 18-21 November 2003

Edited by

Benedict P. Satia
Chief, International Institutions and Liaison Service
FAO Fisheries Department
and
Derek Staples
Senior Regional Fishery Officer
FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

Table of Contents

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Satia, B.P.; Staples, D. (eds.)
Advisory Committee on Fisheries Research. Papers presented at the second session of the Working Party on Small-scale Fisheries. Bangkok, Thailand, 18-21 November 2003.
FAO Fisheries Report. No. 735, Suppl. Rome, FAO. 2004. 198p.

ABSTRACT

At the fourth session of the FAO Advisory Committee on Fisheries Research (ACFR), in December 2002, the Committee highlighted that small-scale fisheries had not received the research attention that they deserved considering the important contribution that they make to nutrition, food security, sustainable livelihoods and poverty alleviation, especially in developing countries. The Committee pointed out that although many of the issues such as user-rights, excess capacity, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, trade and incentives, governance, etc. are common across all fisheries, they need explicit attention in the small-scale fisheries (SSF) context. The Committee recommended that a working party be convened to elaborate a draft research agenda and undertake an evaluation of the role and importance of small-scale (marine) fisheries and outline ways in which the transition to responsible fisheries could be facilitated, bearing in mind the developing paradigm of Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF). The scope was later extended within the FAO Fisheries Department to also include estuarine and inland water capture fisheries.

The Working Party held its meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, from 18 to 21 November 2003. This document contains the eight papers submitted to the Working Party. The papers highlight main research themes that should be considered in formulating a draft research agenda for small-scale fisheries. These themes include policy legislation governance and institutional arrangements; contribution, relevance and importance of small-scale fisheries to national economies and livelihood; management approaches to small-scale fisheries; post-harvest issues and trade; information systems for small-scale fisheries, and also emphasize strategies and mechanisms to bridge the gap between research and action. Drawing on the output of the Working Party and the papers in this document, two separate documents, a draft research agenda for small-scale fisheries and contribution, role and importance of small-scale fisheries are in preparation.